How fast do Open Brains grow ...

[Sylock]

How fast do Open Brains grow if they are happy and supplemented with food (once a week)? Mine looks very happy and is always puffed up, so I'm trying to calculate it's growth rate in regards to where I put it in my new 75 gallon.

[mikeMersot]

I have had a red open brain for about a year, and I would estimate it has grown to about 125% of its original size(it was very small), I feed DT's once a week and sometimes give it some blender mush or whole fresh shrimp w/selcon. This specimen has also survived a full-out tank crash, which may have retarded its growth a bit. I cant really say for shure how much larger the skeleton is, since i never see it completely deflated, 125% is my best guess. In terms of puffyness though I would say it is about 3 fold the size it was the first month or so with many more folds. So in conclusion I would leave it a good few inch buffer zone at least.

[tdwyatt]

Much of the growth will depend on the amount of calcium, alkalinity, and the availability of food, current and light. Faviids refer low to medium currents that help these organisms shed detritus and sediments, but need occasional feeding of meaty substance and adequate quality light to grow. Without good lefels of Ca and Alk, these massives cannot build the skeleton necessary to increase their size. I have had them increase their weight out of water (total tissue, not just skeleton) by as much a 15% in 28 days, but this is usually the exception, growth rates more on the line of 2 to 6 percent, depending on how much I feed them (I think, with all other factors being equal). This is not supported by any references, just based on the notes from my log books in my personal systems. These were weighed witn a common gram weight balance while participating in Eric B's program around 2002 or so.